The American Federation of Teachers (AFT) is now urging parents not to buy back-to-school supplies at Target because, in the union’s view, Target hasn’t done enough to push back against ICE.
What has any of this got to do with teaching students and, perhaps more importantly, why are we allowing teacher unions to continue to operate?
FOX News reports:
American Federation of Teachers launches boycott against Target, claims retailer ‘remained silent’ on ICEAmerican Federation of Teachers (AFT) President Randi Weingarten promoted a nationwide back-to-school boycott of retail giant Target over the weekend because the company had not condemned ICE operations in Minnesota — the location of its headquarters — prompting criticism from education advocates and a call for federal scrutiny.”We gave Target ample time to stand with the communities in which they operate and help their neighbors, but its silence about federal immigration abuses has been deafening,” Weingarten said in a statement.”The issue could not be more pressing: Seven months since the murders of Alex Pretti and Renée Good, masked ICE agents are still in our streets, our schools and our communities, terrorizing families in the name of Donald Trump’s illegal and immoral assault on immigrants striving for their American Dream,” she continued. “That’s why we’re urging our members to avoid Target and patronize more ethical shopping alternatives this back-to-school season.”Weingarten also shared a video on Instagram, where she directed families to the AFT’s “Shop Smart, Not Target” website, which maps local back-to-school shopping alternatives. The organization launched the campaign Wednesday after sending Target CEO Michael Fiddelke letters in February and March.
Here’s more from the AFT press release:
AFT Launches ‘Shop Smart, Not Target’ Campaign for Back-to-SchoolAs teachers and families head back to school, the AFT has launched a nationwide campaign to urge them to shop at retailers other than Target for their school supplies. The “Shop Smart, Support Working Families” campaign was created in response to Target’s refusal to condemn the unlawful Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity that continues to roil communities around the country. A new website, ShopSmart.AFT.org, along with an associated digital and print ad initiative, helps educators and families shop for school supplies at local stores and outlets that respect labor rights, instead of at Target.The AFT’s 1.875 million members spend an average of $895 of their own money on school supplies each year and hold billions in Target stock via their pension accounts. In March, the union passed a resolution demanding the Minneapolis-based business speak up against the ICE atrocities in their own backyard and called for a comprehensive back-to-school campaign if it failed to take meaningful action.AFT President Randi Weingarten wrote to Target CEO Michael Fiddelke in January and again in March outlining the union’s concerns but did not receive a constructive response. In June, the 15 million-member national AFL-CIO, affiliated with the AFT, passed its own resolution at its constitutional convention in Minneapolis, backing the plan and championing the AFT’s push.
To be clear, this has absolutely nothing to do with education. It’s not even related to the pay or working conditions of teachers.
It is 100% Democrat political activism. The AFT and other teacher unions should be dissolved.
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